CUA's programs emphasize the liberal arts, professional education, and personal development. The school stays closely connected with the Catholic Church and Catholic organizations. The American Cardinals Dinner is put on by the residential U.S. cardinals each year to raise scholarship funds for CUA. The university has a long history of working with the Knights of Columbus; the university's law school and basilica have dedications to the involvement and support of the Knights.

In 1882 Bishop John Lancaster Spalding went to Rome to obtain Pope Leo XIII's support for the University and persuaded family friend Mary Gwendoline Caldwell to pledge $300,000 to establish it. On April 10, 1887 Leo sent James Cardinal Gibbons a letter granting permission to begin the university.[14] On March 7, 1889, the Pope issued the encyclical Magni Nobis,[15] granting the university its charter and establishing its mission as the instruction of Catholicism and human nature together at the graduate level. By developing new leaders and new knowledge, it was believed that the University would strengthen and enrich Catholicism in the United States.[16]

The founders wished to emphasize the Church’s special role in United States. They had a conviction that scientific and humanistic research, informed by faith, would strengthen the Church. They hoped to develop a national institution that would promote the faith in a context of religious freedom, spiritual pluralism, and intellectual rigor.

It was incorporated in 1887 on 66 acres (27 ha) of land next to the Old Soldiers Home.[14] President Grover Cleveland was in attendance for the laying of the cornerstone of Divinity Hall, now known as Caldwell Hall, on May 24, 1888, as were members of Congress and the U.S. Cabinet.

Though Harvard College had been established in 1636, it was only in 1876 with the opening of the Johns Hopkins University that American universities began dedicating themselves to graduate study and research in the Prussian model.[14] CUA was the "principal channel through which the modern university movement entered the American Catholic community," and one of the only 14 colleges offering doctorate programs who formed the Association of American Universities in 1900.[14]

In 1904, an undergraduate program was added and it quickly established a reputation for excellence. The president of the first undergraduate class was Frank Kuntz, whose memoir of that period was published by the University press. The University gives an annual award named for Kuntz.[17]

The presence of CUA attracted other Catholic institutions to the area, including colleges, religious orders, and national service organizations. Between 1900 and 1940, more than 50 international Catholic institutions rented or owned property in neighboring Brookland. During the post World War II years, Catholic University experienced an expansion in enrollment thanks to the G.I. Bill.

Today the campus has over 6,000 students from all 50 states and around the world. It is the only American university to have been visited by two popes and is one of only two universities to have any visits by a pontiff.[14]

In 1899 the National Council established a Knights of Columbus Chair of American History at the University, to counter the somewhat anti-Catholic bias of history-writing at the time.[18] The convention accepted the proposal.

Over 10,000 Knights were on hand on April 13, 1904 to present a $55,633.79 check[20] ($1,399,831.80 in 2012 dollars[21]) to endow the Chair.[18]

In December 1904 Cardinal Gibbons appealed to the Knights for more financial aid to help meet operating costs after some investments went sour. The Order gave nearly $25,000.[20] By 1907 the financial situation of Catholic University had improved but was still shaky. Archbishop John J. Glennon of St. Louis, chairman of a committee to plan for a $500,000 endowment, appealed to the Knights as the committee believed the Order was the only organization which could do it. Every Knight was asked to contribute $1 a year for a five-year period. In December 1913, the goal was realized.[18]

At Cardinal Gibbons' residence in Baltimore on January 6, 1914, a party headed by Supreme Knight James A. Flaherty presented $500,000 in securities, the results of the fund drive.[20] The University and the Order agreed that rather than an endowment as originally planned, the funds would be used to establish fellowships for M.A. or Ph.D. studies with the hope of producing teachers for both Catholic and secular colleges and universities. Originally there was to be one fellowship for every $10,000, but in later years, inflation increased the amount with a resultant decrease in the number of fellowships.[citation needed]

In February 1925, the Washington Council helped organize a Knights of Columbus Club was organized which in turn resulted in the initiation of about fifty students into the Council annually during the next few years.[citation needed]

With the success of its vocational courses in camps to prepare World War I veterans for civilian life, the Supreme Council Board of Directors established an Education Committee in June 1919. This Committee later established a national tuition-free evening school program for veterans. By November, when the War Department took over the camp vocational courses from volunteer agencies, the Knights had nearly seven thousand students in twenty-five camps. Washington Council Grand Knight Frank O'Hara, head of the economics department at the University, taught, with other Knights, in the Washington program, which focused on high school subjects. He later become dean of the school, and liberal and professional courses were added.[citation needed]

In 1921 Catholic University "affiliated" with the Knights of Columbus evening school for its college courses, and three years later also recognized its secondary school courses. This allowed "a large group of Catholic students who otherwise would go elsewhere to continue their studies" to instead attend CUA. The school was located at St. John's College on Vermont Avenue, with 1,500 students registered, and a faculty of 24, of whom twenty were from the CUA. A committee of University trustees described it as "practically under University control, though not officially so."[citation needed]

The evening school had developed in Columbus University and obtained a charter in 1922. It was reported that the Order's Board of Directors was disassociating itself from the institution. Though there was appreciation among ecclesiastical officials of the service provided to those who couldn't regularly attend a university, there was also concern in the Catholic University administration about the confusion that could result from the close relationship between CUA and Columbus University. During this time fewer CUA teachers were involved. O'Hara resigned as president of Columbus University and from its board, though he continued to teach, and a there was a reduction of the course offerings to accounting and law. Sometime in the years 1923-25, the five councils of Washington D.C. voted to keep the school open.[citation needed]

Three decades later, in 1954, Columbus University merged with the law program of CUA to become The Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America[18] after the American Bar Association in 1951 challenged law schools not affiliated with a university. The CUA law school was the first professional school of the University, and occupied the remodeled downtown building of the former Columbus University for over two decades, until 1966, when it moves to a new building on the campus.[citation needed]

The Chairman of the committee that handled the fund-raising for the 1914 fellowships expressed the hope that the Order would donate another $100,000 to pay for a dormitory for the 50 fellows. The University completed its second dormitory building just in time to house them. It become known as Graduate Hall, but it was renamed University Center, then Cardinal Hall, and finally as O'Connell Hall.[citation needed]

In 1920 the Order contributed $60,000 toward the Catholic University gymnasium and drill hall, which later became the Crough Building housing the School of Architecture. The Knights of Columbus are listed among the seven donors of "Leadership Gifts" of $500,000 or more and a plaque in the courtyard recognizes the contribution of the Knights.[18]

A $1,000,000 trust was established in August 1965 to fund the Pro Deo and Pro Patria Scholarship, providing twelve undergraduate scholarships annually to the University.[23]

The North American Campus of the Pope John Paul II Institute on Marriage and the Family, funded by the Knights and established at the Dominican House of Studies, adjacent to the CUA campus, opened its first academic year on September 8, 1988.[24] In 1989 the Knights voted a $2,000,000 birthday gift to the U.S. bishops on their bicentennial, to be given to Catholic University and used to fund special projects jointly chosen by the University and the Knights.[18][20] Proceeds from this fund helped to finance the construction of the Columbus School of Law building.[20]

The CUA campus is in the residential community of Brookland in Northeast Washington; its main entrance is 620 Michigan Ave., NE. The campus is bound by Michigan Avenue to the south, North Capitol Street to the west, Hawaii Avenue to the north, and John McCormick Road to the east. It is three miles (5 km) north of the Capitol building.

The tree-lined campus is 193 acres (78 ha). Romanesque and modern design dominate among the university’s 55 major buildings. Between McMahon and Gibbons halls and alongside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception runs The Mall, a large strip of grass that is often the site of Ultimate Frisbee games and sunbathers. Conte Circle is in the middle of Centennial Village, a cluster of eight residential houses.

The Edward J. Pryzbyla University Center was opened in the spring of 2003, bringing student dining services, the campus bookstore, student organization offices, an 800-person ballroom, a convenience store, and more student services under one roof. The John K. Mullen Library completed a $6,000,000 renovation in 2004, significantly improving the lighting and aesthetics of the interior and allowing the classical architecture to better shine through.

The Columbus School of Law is on the main campus and is self-contained in its own building with moot courtrooms, a library, chapel, classrooms, and offices. On the Pryzbyla Center side of the building is the Law School Lawn, where the ultimate Frisbee team can often be found. Theological College, the United States' national seminary, is located across Michigan Avenue from the main campus and sits between the Dominican House of Studies, a seminary for the Order of Preachers, and offices for the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Trinity Washington University is also near the university and is a quarter mile south along Michigan Avenue.

McGivney Hall

In April 2004, the University purchased 49 acres (20 ha) of land from the Armed Forces Retirement Home. The parcel is the largest plot of open space in the District and makes CUA the largest university in D.C. by land area. There are currently no plans for the parcel other than to secure the property for future growth.

In 2007, the University unveiled plans to expand the campus by adding three new dormitories to the north side of campus.[25][26] The first of these dormitories, the seven-story tall Opus Hall, houses 420 upper-class students, making it the largest dormitory on campus. The three new dormitories, when built, will replace the two now demolished dormitories on the south side of campus, Conaty and Spellman. Although dormitories were formerly coeducational, with men and women living in the same buildings, this has been phased out with a return to single-sex dormitories.[27]

CUA has environmental sustainability programs, including participation in Earth Day, Casey Trees tree planting, and Campus Beautification Day. CUA constructed its most recent building, Opus Hall, as LEED-compliant, and purchases 30% of its electricity from green sources.[28] The university is participating in the 2010 College Sustainability Report Card rating.[28][29][30]

In 2009, the School of Architecture and Planning introduced a Master of Science in Sustainable Design degree.[28]

There are over 100 registered student clubs and organizations at CUA for a wide variety of interests including athletics, academics, social, Greek life, service, political and religious.

Annual events include week-long Homecoming celebrations, the Mr. CUA competition, and a number of dances including the Beaux Arts Ball, the Mistletoe Ball, and the Athletes Ball. In addition to the radio station WCUA, other campus media outlets include The Crosier, a scholarly publication concerning Catholic social teaching, The Tower, the campus' independent weekly newspaper, and CRUX, a literary magazine.

Although the Catholic University states that it does not have any Greek life on campus, it in fact has two Greek social organizations and one Greek service organization. Catholic University Greek life includes Alpha Delta Gamma the national Catholic social fraternity–Kappa chapter and Kappa Tau Gamma the local Christian social-service sorority. Alpha Phi Omega the national service fraternity–Zeta Mu chapter which is co-ed. Former Phi Kappa Theta DC Omega chapter is inactive.

The CUA Student Association is the university's undergraduate student government. It includes the General Assembly, an advocacy body, and the Student Fee Allocation Board which serves as the steward of the Student Activity and Club Sports Fee. The graduate student government is a separate entity and was not affected by the changes during the 2006-2007 academic year.

The university's Program Board, which puts on many of the concerts on campus as well as the annual Mistletoe Ball, provides other activities for the entire CUA community. Previous events include ski trips, advance screenings of movies, Noise In The Pryz, and the Movies on the Mall.

The Crosier, a student-run journal of pro-life academic articles, was named “Best Journal of Letters” by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute in 2014.[31]

The music and drama programs[clarification needed] stage productions each semester, performances ranging from Broadway productions to plays and operas. Catholic University students also participate in is a Symphony orchestra and choral groups, including a cappella groups Take Note and RedLine.[32]

There have been a number of songs associated with the university over the years.[33] The most recent fight song, written by Steve Schatz, was adopted in 2002. The original ﬁght song, "The Flying Cardinals", dates back to before the 1930s.[34] There are two alma maters, considered to be the University's official songs. The first, "Hail CUA" was set to music composed by Victor Herbert and was adopted in 1920.[34] The other, Guardians of Truth by Fr. Thomas McLean, actually came in 2nd place in the 1920 competition but was widely adopted in the ensuing years.[34]

While the university welcomes students of all faiths, 84% of undergraduates and 59% of graduate students self-identify as Catholic. The campus ministry has two groups of student ministers: the "resident ministers" who live in residence halls and focus primarily on upperclassmen and the "house members," who focus on freshmen.

The Friday Night Planning Committee works with the house members to plan activities for Friday nights that are alcohol free. Campus ministry also coordinates university liturgies, plans and runs retreats, provides faith formation including R.C.I.A., and operates the online Prayernet.

The University has an active council of the Knights of Columbus on campus, with about 350 members.[35] In 2013 they brought in more new members, 57, than any other college council, as well as more new insurance members with 11.[36] In 2011 they won the Council Activity Award for their OverKnight program, a retreat that immediately follows an initiation ceremony.[37]

The University is the birthplace of the College Council program in the Knights of Columbus. On June 5, 1898 Keane Council #353, was instituted with 66 charter members, and Lawrence O. Murray, Comptroller of the Currency, as Grand Knight.[18] It "formed its nucleus in the Catholic University," in the words of Philip Garrigan, one of Keane's founders and vice-rector of the University. It was named for Irish-born Bishop John J. Keane, first rector of the University (1889–1896). The first meetings were held in the Typographical Temple, they then move to Grand Army Hall on October 12, 1898, and then to the Maccabee Temple the following June. The association with the University diminished over time.

Anthony Scullen, dean of the School of Engineering and Architecture, served as the third Grand Knight of Washington Council from 1927-29. He reorganized the Knights of Columbus Club on campus, and there are a large number of applications from the students.

The Immaculate Conception Shrine Council No. 4944 was organized on the campus and charted on March 24, 1960 with a membership consisting of faculty, alumni, and others related to the University. Keane Council had for over sixty years been meeting at the downtown K. of C. Hall. Shrine Council, however, met on campus for over a dozen years, and then in a succession of seven different locations all in the Brookland. Over time any other relationship with the University or its people declined to one of merely having a few alumni among its members.

The Catholic University of America Council #9542 was chartered on April 13, 1987 as the District's second college council (after the Georgetown University Council, which was deactivated at the time). Following Keane and Shrine councils, it is the third council to be founded in connection with the University, and became one of four councils meeting in the Brookland area. The institution initiation was on April 14, but the Supreme office backdated the charter one day to coincide with the anniversary of the 1904 check presentation to the University.

Over the years the council would win a number of awards and honors. It was the recipient of the Outstanding College Council award in 1994, and 2014.[38] Many members, over the years, would go on to serve on the College Council Conference Coordinating Committee.

In honor of the University's 125th anniversary, students, staff, faculty, and alumni were challenged to complete 125,000 hours of community service between May 15, 2011 and Founders Day, April 10, 2012. On Founders Day co-chairmen of the 125th Anniversary Committee Randall Ott, dean of architecture and planning, and Bart Pollock, web content editor, announced that a total of 352,627 hours were recorded, nearly tripling the original goal.[39]

The 125,000 hour mark was surpassed on January 24.[39] The total number of student hours passed 125,000 hours in mid-March, and by the end of the month 125,000 hours had been served within Washington, D.C.[39] Three campus organizations, the Bachelor of Arts Social Service Organization (1,090 hours), the women’s group, Gratia Plena (1,469 hours), and the men’s fraternal organization, Knights of Columbus (2,609 hours), were singled out for their contributions.[35][40]

Students from the National Catholic School of Social Service performed the greatest number of hours, at 108,641, while students from the School of Arts and Sciences had the most students participate at 891.[40] The Class of 2011 led alumni with 7,489 hours, and all alumni contributed 60,828 hours.[40]

Undergraduates combine a liberal arts curriculum in arts and sciences with courses in a major field of study. The Metropolitan School provides programs for adults who wish to earn baccalaureate degrees or participate in continuing education and certificate programs on a part-time basis. 88% of undergraduates and 61% of graduate students are Catholic.[44]

Although the University continues to be under censure by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) for academic freedom violations and continues to ban certain speakers from campus, CUA has made a general statement of policy that the academic freedom of its faculty and students will be respected.[47] It considers academic freedom a "fundamental condition for research and dissemination of information."[47] The policy sets forth its respect for the right and responsibility of its faculty and students to (i) conduct research, (ii) publish their findings, and (iii) discuss ideas according to the principles, sources and methods of their academic disciplines.[47] The University further "sanctions" the investigation of "unexplored phenomena, advancement of knowledge, and critical examination of ideas, old and new" and "accepts the responsibility of protecting both teacher and student from being forced to deny truth that has been discovered or to assert claims that have not been established in the discipline."[47]

However, the University specifically provides that "theologians" in the University are "expected to give assent to the teachings of the magisterium in keeping with the various degrees of assent that are called for by authoritative teaching."[47] It should be noted that The Catholic University of America does not offer general studies in theology. Instead it offers doctorates in historical theology and systematic theology, the latter of which “undertakes the task of a comprehensive and synthetic understanding of the Christian faith as mediated through the Scriptures and the Catholic Tradition and as interpreted by the conciliar and papal magisterium [48] In addition, it offers ecclesiastical degrees (i.e., licenses to teach Catholic Theology) in Liturgical Studies and Sacramental Theology, Moral Theology/Ethics, and Historical and Systematic Theology.[49] In order to teach theology at The Catholic University of America, one must be licensed to teach Catholic Theology by the Vatican.

American Association of University Professors censure (the Curran case)[edit]

Caldwell Hall

In 1967, tenured professor Reverend Charles E. Curran was fired for his views on birth control, but was reinstated after a five-day faculty-led strike.[50] In 1986, the Vatican declared that Curran could no longer teach theology at The Catholic University of America, because "clashes with church authorities finally culminated in a decision by the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, headed by then-Cardinal (and future Pope) Josef Ratzinger, that Curran was neither suitable nor eligible to be a professor of Catholic theology."[51] The areas of dispute included publishing articles that debated theological and ethical views regarding divorce, "artificial contraception", "masturbation, pre-marital intercourse and homosexual acts."[52] As noted in the American Association of University Professors report, "Had it not been for the intervention of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Professor Curran would undoubtedly still be active in the university's Department of Theology, a popular teacher, honored theologian, and respected colleague."[52] Curran's attorneys argued that CUA did not follow proper procedures or its own policy statements in handling the case. In essence, CUA claimed that the Vatican's actions against Curran trumped any campus-based policy or tenure rules.

In 1989, he filed suit against Catholic University, and the court determined that the University had the right to fire him for teaching views in contradiction to the school's religion.[53]

In 1990, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) defended Curran and censured The Catholic University of America due to its failure to adhere to the AAUP's Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure, and that it found that "unsatisfactory conditions of academic freedom and tenure have been found to prevail" at The Catholic University of America. As of July 2009[update], the Catholic University remains on the list of censured institutions.[54] The two conditions for having the censure removed are inviting Curran, whose license to teach Catholic Theology had been suspended by the Vatican, back to campus and changing the University's "Statement on Academic Freedom."[55] President David M. O'Connell refused to do either stating, "Every American university has a right to govern itself according to its own identity, mission, standards and procedures."[55]

The University as a policy does not allow outside guests to speak on campus to any audience if they have previously expressed an opinion on abortion rights or other serious issues conflicting with the Catholic Church's teaching. Applying this policy in 2004, CUA was criticized for rescinding Stanley Tucci's invitation for a seminar about Italian cinema, because he had lent past support for Planned Parenthood.[58]

In a letter to the campus that next month, university President David O'Connell wrote:

I consider any pro-choice advocacy — whether deliberate or accidental, whether presented under the guise of academic freedom or right to free speech — as incompatible with that fidelity and not worthy of The Catholic University of America.[59]

The next year, in 2005, the school was criticized for initially rejecting an application for recognition of a student chapter of the NAACP; one of the reasons officials cited in its rejection was the national organization's pro-choice stance.[60] In 2006 the CUA administration barred a student-run on-campus performance of Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues.

The speaker policy gained national attention again in 2008 when the CUA College Republicans, the University's largest student organization, hosted former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge.[citation needed] Ridge once campaigned on a moderate pro-choice platform despite being a Catholic. In spite of this, school officials still approved Ridge to speak. Members of the Cardinal Newman Society heavily criticized the organization.[citation needed]

In 2009, the school made its speaker policy more stringent, prohibiting all candidates for political office from speaking on campus. Representatives of both Democratic and Republican clubs on campus have criticized the decision.[61]

There are many notable alumni of The Catholic University of America, particularly in the arts, in the Church and in public service. Graduates include cardinals, bishops, priests and nuns. CUA's Current total of Alumni exceeds 83,000, including 12 living cardinals.[62]

CUA was founded by the nation's bishops, and they continue to have a presence on the Board of Trustees. There are 48 elected members, and the bylaws stipulate that 24 must be clerics, 18 of which must be members of the bishops conference.[14] Of the 51 total trustees (including the University president), 24 are bishops (including eight cardinals). In addition, there are one religious sister and two priests.

^"A Catholic University; The Zeal of a Few Prelates Rewarded". New York Times. June 15, 1885. p. 5. Spalding: "Let there be, then, an American Catholic University, where our young men, in the atmosphere of faith and purity, of high thinking and plain living, shall become more intimately conscious of the truth of their religion and of the genius of their country, where they shall learn the repose and dignity which belong to their ancient Catholic descent, and yet not lose the fire which glows in the blood of a new people...."

^The president of the first undergraduate class was Frank Kuntz, whose memoir of that period was published by the University press. Frank Kuntz, Undergraduate Days: 1904-1908 (CUA 1958). The University gives an annual award named for Kuntz.[1][dead link]